How to Say “Thanks to…” in Japanese with おかげで

Sometimes things go right—and you want to give credit where it’s due. Maybe your Japanese has improved because of a good study app (hint hint), or maybe the weather was great, so you had a wonderful day. In Japanese, the go-to phrase for expressing this kind of appreciation is おかげで. In this article, we’ll show you how to say “Thanks to X, Y happened” using おかげで.

おかげで

Thanks to... / Because of (in a good way)

Usage Pattern

[Noun]+ の + おかげで + Result
[な-adjective] + な + おかげで + Result
[い-adjective / Verb (short form)] + おかげで + Result

Details

JLPT Level: N4

How to Use It

おかげで is used when something good happened and you want to say what caused it. It’s the Japanese equivalent of “Thanks to…” in English. You can use it after nouns, adjectives, and short-form verbs. When using a noun, add の before おかげで. When using a な-adjective, keep the な. For い-adjectives and verbs, just use the short (plain) form. Because おかげで expresses gratitude, it’s usually not used about yourself. Saying “Thanks to me…” can sound arrogant, unless you’re being playful or ironic. But you can absolutely say “Thanks to you,” “Thanks to the weather,” or “Thanks to Kotoba Kards!”

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Example 1

天気のおかげで、楽しいピクニックができました。

てんき　の　おかげで、たのしい　ぴくにっく　が　できました。

Tenki no okage de, tanoshii pikunikku ga dekimashita.

Thanks to the weather, we had a fun picnic.

Example 2

あなたのおかげで、日本語が上手になりました。

あなた　の　おかげで、にほんご　が　じょうず　に　なりました。

Anata no okage de, Nihongo ga jōzu ni narimashita.

Thanks to you, my Japanese got better.

Example 3

薬のおかげで、元気になりました。

くすり　の　おかげで、げんき　に　なりました。

Kusuri no okage de, genki ni narimashita.

Thanks to the medicine, I got better.